Taking Charge

Accepting Master Card and Visa is no longer a luxury. Consumers everywhere expect to be able to use their plastic where ever they go. As the economy slows to a hault, small business owners are challenged every day with the prospect of losing customers if they do not accept charge cards, or losing profits if they do.

In an industry where 99% of the providers are resellers, the dialogue between processor and business owner is so dilluted by unsanctioned/unregualted Independent SalesOrganizatons that the merchants have no idea what to believe and what is a lie.

Think about it -

There are over 16,000 businesses that offer merchant services, yet less than 20 actual process MC/Visa transactions.

Now, let's do the math 20/16000 = 99.99875%

That's not all -

Almost every one of those processors is using an Independent Sales Organization (ISO) to distribute their services. So even if you happen to process with one of the 20 that actually processes transactions, that does not mean you are neccesarily getting direct pricing.

When a processor engages an ISO to distribute their services, that ISO becomes a much more important customer than you. The processor needs that ISO to continue to distribute for them.

The fastest way to stop that from happening is to go into their selling region and undercut their pricing. The truth is many of these ISO have relationships with many Processors and only push the processors that pay them the most.

As an industry insider, it is my goal to educate small business owners everywhere how to avoid the half-truths, flat out lies, tricks and unethical business practices of most of the 99.99875% of Merchant Services Providers.

Every week I will give you access into my world. You will read about all of the real life examples I run into every single week in talking to small business owners throughout Western Mass and New England.

In my next post you will here about the perils with "No Contracts."

I hope you enjoy reading, but more importantly I hope you learn how to avoid the headaches shared by so many "victims" of the Merchant Services Industry.

Welcome!